When I first started reading Gogol’s “The Nose,” I thought the description of Ivan Jakovlevitch’s morning was pretty typical. However, once I reached the part where he discovered the nose in his bread, I realized that this story would be even weirder than Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.” As I continued reading, I found most elements of “The Nose” to be extremely peculiar, like Jakovlevitch’s actions after finding the nose. I also found it difficult to visualize the scenes because they simply didn’t make sense.
(Source: http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2013/03/20/)
I had so many questions that were left unanswered as the story progressed. For instance, how big was the nose that Kovaloff saw dressed as a state-councillor? Did it have a face? After all, it was wearing a uniform and had magically sprouted legs. I also wondered what others thought upon catching sight of this walking nose. Didn’t they find it strange that it could talk? These are only a few of the numerous questions running through my mind as I read.
(Source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Nose/663241)
I did notice that Gogol placed a lot of emphasis on social ranks throughout the piece. He talked a lot about appearances, comparing the barber’s disheveled presence with the neatly-dressed “Major.” It was awkward when Kovaloff realized that his own nose was of a higher rank than he. The Major couldn’t even find the right words to say when approaching the nose because it was superior.
(Source: http://forums.evancarmichael.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9422)
The nose also greatly affected Kovaloff’s demeanor. Without it, the Major felt hopeless, and I actually pitied him. He constantly concealed the missing organ on his face with a handkerchief because he feared that people would perceive him differently. It seems that the Major cared a great deal about his image and what people thought of him.
(Source: http://tolstoywarpeace.blogspot.com/2010/09/le-nez.htm)
Although “The Nose” was super weird and random, I was thoroughly amused as I read it. I was glad that Kovaloff’s nose returned to his face at the end. It was definitely more pleasant than the ending of “The Metamorphosis.” My questions still linger in my head, but I guess they’re irrelevant to the main point that Gogol was trying to establish in his story.
It’s interesting that you brought up the question of the nose’s size. In my class, after reading The Metamorphosis, we had a whole discussion about whether Gregor was a normal- or super-sized cockroach. It seems like these authors don’t like to pay attention to realistic details – probably because, as you noted, it’s about something a little more than technical plot details.
I think that the fact that people didn’t notice a nose was walking around kind of emphasized how focused they all were on uniforms and signs of ranking. They were so wrapped up in social status that nobody noticed this wasn’t even a person! The almost constant focus on appearance was something I noticed as I read the story as well.
I understand what you mean by not being able to visualize the scenes, especially that first one with Ivan the barber. It didn’t help that every section ended with something about a weird mist covering the rest of the story. Again, this is probably so because we’re supposed to focus on something more than the plot making logical sense in all of its details.